Demand More From Our Schools

Opinion - My WORD

August 1, 2004|By Jay Wheeler

While I was flattered by the amount of reaction I received to a July 21 article about me in the Sentinel, I feel the need to provide some clarification.

First, I want to make it clear that I have never exchanged obscenities with any member of the School Board. As elected officials, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard of conduct. I believe that school officials should not engage in public conduct that would, if repeated by a child, get them sent to the principal's office.

Secondly, I am not on a quest to get Superintendent Blaine Muse fired. I am focused on seeing an improvement in student achievement. The fact remains that only 32 percent of elementary schools showed growth in the 2003-04 school year. In 2002-03, 66 percent of 10th-graders were reading below grade level, and in 2003-04 that number ballooned to 75 percent.

We will not get excellence until the School Board and superintendent demand it.

I have even told Muse that if student achievement, especially high-school reading scores, starts to improve, it will make it easier to justify my voting to keep him.

Statewide, 86 percent of public-school districts have higher academic results. While many within the system see this as an attack, it is not. These are simply the facts with no spin. I would like nothing more than to see the superintendent turn it around.

Empirical data does not lie, and I am not willing to accept declining high-school reading scores simply because they have done so all over the state.

Finally, Muse needs to show leadership -- especially on critical issues. For example, the district's financial calculations on new impact fees needed to be updated much faster. That could have diffused what became a situation where people were questioning the school district's credibility.

My tenure on the School Board is about demanding more and expecting excellence. As a community, we deserve to know that our school district can compete with any in the state and that there is strong leadership at the helm.

While the status quo continues to resist change, the public has made it clear to me that its patience is wearing thin with our reputation as a school district that continues to underperform. I plan to continue to advocate positive change and improvement.